Two years in the making, Bipasha Basu’s Lamhaa is finally up for release today. Though narrated as a thriller, at the core of it, the film carries an issue-based subject. Considering the fact that Kurbaan, which released last year, too was an issue-based film (despite the thriller treatment) and still didn’t work at the box office, isn’t Bipasha worried about the fate of Lamhaa?

Rahul Dholakia tells Jyothi Venkatesh that he decided to cast Sanjay because he needed a mature actor, not a Ranbir Kapoor type, to play the role of a middle-aged Military Intelligence Officer. What triggered the idea of making a film like Lamhaa?

Rahul Dholakia’s film has been facing trouble since the beginning. To start with, Karishma Kapoor backed out from the project after showing a lot of interest in it. Then, Bipasha Basu was taken in to play the role of a Kashmiri girl. Later, the sexy Basu also walked out of the set in Kashmir, saying that she was feeling very uncomfortable mobbed by the fans. Then, the rumors of Vidya Balan replacing Basu started to do the rounds. All these issues were resolved later and Bips continued to be the leading lady in the film.